Lift high the cross

Every September 14, we observe Holy Cross Day as a lesser festival, singing “Lift High the Cross” (ELW 660). It’s an ancient Christian celebration, going back to at least the seventh century. But did you know there’s a bold woman at the heart of Holy Cross Day?

Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine the Great (306-337), was a Christian, and Constantine attributed his victories to Christ. The Roman empire outlawed our faith for many years, but Constantine changed that and granted tolerance to all religions in the empire.

The holy sites in and around Jerusalem had been lost for nearly 200 years since the Romans had razed the city and plowed under the ashes. Now Constantine wanted those holy sites found, excavated, and preserved, with Christian churches to honor them, and he asked his mother, Helena, to lead the expedition. As she traveled, she founded churches, hospitals, and hostels to serve and shelter the poor and destitute. In Jerusalem, she discovered three crosses, one of which had the board with the title “The King of the Jews” still attached. And that, according to the story, was the cross on which Jesus was crucified.

Helena was a bold woman of steadfast faith and determination. So, when you sing “Lift High the Cross,” remember Helena and imagine how thrilled she must have been when her workers lifted an old wooden cross out of the earth that had covered it for so long.

This message is an excerpt from a Women of the ELCA blog by Audrey Novak Riley. Read the story of Helena and Holy Cross Day here. Today we observe Holy Cross Day.

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